Climate - Bellingham (Washington)

The climate of Bellingham is sub-oceanic, with quite mild, rainy winters and mild, fairly sunny summers.
The city overlooks Bellingham Bay, which then opens onto the Strait of Georgia, where we find the San Juan Islands and then the Canadian island of Vancouver. We are in the far northwest of the United States, 25 km (15 mi) from the Canadian border. The Canadian city of Vancouver is located 65 km (40 mi) to the northwest. To the east, we find the mountains of the Mount Baker Ski Area.
The wind is frequent: during mild and rainy periods, the wind blows from the strait of Juan de Fuca, while during cold air outbreaks, it blows from the northeast after being channeled into the the Fraser River valley.
Although the winter is mild enough, there can sometimes be cold waves, sometimes even in November, with night temperatures going down to -10 °C (14 °F) or even below. For example, the temperature dropped to -18 °C (0 °F) in January 1950, to -15 °C (5 °F) in November 1955 and November 1985, and to -15.5 °C (4 °F) in February 1989.
Snow is quite rare: on average, 26 centimeters (10 in) per year. However, a fairly heavy snowfall can occur from time to time.
In summer, daytime temperatures are generally mild or pleasantly warm. However, there may also be hot periods, which last a few days, with highs of 32/33 °C (89/91 °F), and sometimes more. Generally, the heat is less intense than in Seattle, as we are more to the north. However, in July 2009, the temperature reached 36 °C (97 °F).
The average temperature of the coldest month (December) is of 3.4 °C (38 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 16.9 °C (62 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 910 millimeters (35.8 inches) per year: it is therefore not very abundant, though it is very frequent in the cold half of the year. It ranges from 30 mm (1.2 in) in the driest months (July, August) to 145 mm (5.7 in) in the wettest (November). Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 1,865 sunshine hours per year. Bellingham is the least sunny city in the whole of the United States, although there's no big difference with Seattle and the other cities of the Puget Sound. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 8 °C (46 °F) and 14 °C (57 °F). So, it is cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Bellingham is summer, especially in July and August, since it is the mildest, driest and sunniest period of the year. June and September are also acceptable months.

Back to the climate of Washington state.